The Max Level Hero Has Returned!
Chapter 1037

Chapter 1037

Thud, thud, thud!!

The sheer number of monsters charging forward was beyond imagination.

Kasato had heard Davey himself admit that a force of this scale and level would be dangerous—even for him.

And yet, the man was as relaxed as could be.

It was as if he had been lying all along.

Kasato assumed it was just bravado. In his mind, there was no way anyone could withstand such a monstrous onslaught.

“H-Hahaha.” Pushed to his breaking point, Kasato burst into desperate laughter, “Heh. Hehehe!! Ridiculous!! What right—what right do you have to judge me?! Look at this!!”

In his fit of rage, he grabbed the covering on his head and ripped it off.

The moment he did, his youthful appearance was overshadowed by his gleaming, bare scalp.

[Holy shit...]

[Okay, that was uncalled for.]

[Oh bro. Holy shit.]

[Oh, wow...]

[F]

[x............joy]

[XD]

The chat instantly spiraled into chaos.

It looked as if someone had slapped a bald wig onto a perfectly normal young man.

Except for the fact that it was clearly his actual hairline, making it all the more jarring.

[My goodness, he’s got nothing left.]

[What? How is that even... Does he have some kind of disease? Genetics? How in the world...?]

“You did this to me, and now what?! Don’t be ridiculous! You’re going to die here! I swear!! I’ll kill you!!!”

[Alright, that’s fair.]

[Honestly, taking his hair away is...]

[Bruh, come on, spare him. He already suffered enough.]

“Huh? What did I do?”

All around the world, viewers seemed to come together.

Thud, thud, thud!!

Indifferent to their admittedly comical interaction, the real threat was still closing in—hundreds of powerful monsters surged toward Davey.

[Oh, right. The monsters!]

[Hot damn, I forgot how dangerous the rift actually is because the Saint of Tionis is streaming it.]

[current-final-boss-raid-of-the-modern-world.jpg]

It wasn’t just the viewers that were hyped by how ridiculous Kasato looked.

[Constellation Sagittarius shakes its head in silent disapproval. Constellation Sagittarius sponsors you with points.]

[Constellation Leo is at a loss for words.]

Those constellations often behaved quite differently from the constellations Davey was familiar with.

They were better than that muscle freak Taurus, but the two who had withdrawn from the frontlines had changed significantly over time.

It was like they were slowly blending into the human world.

“Well, I suppose I should clean them up first.”

[Oh, shit. There’s so many of them...]

[Wait—is that a mutated Ursak?! Even S-Class fighters freak out over those...]

The entire world watching in stunned silence, Davey calmly extended a hand.

“H-Heh. Hehehe! Yes, die! Just die here already!!”

“I’ll have to decline,” he said in his usual playful tone laced with authority.

He then turned toward the lord skeletons standing motionless behind him.

“Unchain yourselves.”

* * *

Davey ended up chaining Kasato Yoshiki up, the man thrashing around and screaming muffled curses at him.

“Ugh, so noisy,” Davey muttered irritably before reaching out his hand. “Go to sleep.”

[Sleep]

Thud—

It was all but impossible for Kasato to resist an enhanced Sleep spell.

The reason he was even tied up in the first place was because of his uncontrollable rage. The guy had actually tried to pick up a massive rock and attack—the only reason Davey hadn’t killed him on the spot was that there were bigger priorities.

Kasato was just a side quest.

The main focus of the stream needed to be on the absurdity of this rift.

The horde of monsters that had been stampeding forward due to the trap that Kasato Yoshiki had plotted were nowhere to be seen.

It was because Davey had completely crushed them with the wild beasts he’d unleashed, the thirty-five lord skeletons.

They were the creation of a 9th Circle devil spell. A unique ability of Death Lord Rho Aias, allowing him to manifest special skeletons known as Bone Monarchs.

While they might look like nothing more than ordinary skeletons, in reality, they were monsters capable of generating Aura Blades en masse, launching them like medieval rocket barrages.

Of course, skeletons of such strength naturally had dangerously high bloodlust, which was why they were usually restrained with chains on their necks that suppressed their full power.

But since that wasn’t a relevant concern, Davey had unchained them. And as soon as their suppressed morale exploded, they finally unleashed their true power.

They rampaged so violently that what little remained of the ruined city was quickly reduced to pure dust. There were absolutely no traces left of what once stood.

But none of that mattered to the damned skeletons.

They simply knelt before Davey, having finished their mission and awaiting his next order.

“From now on, if you see any monsters, cut them all down immediately. We don’t have time to waste.”

They promptly began moving forward with unshakable confidence.

Still, the monsters weren’t finished yet.

Sending the bone monarchs in front, Davey turned back to check the stream’s chat.

[Wow... I’ve never seen any of those creatures before... And holy shit, there’s so many of them...]

[Wait, is this something other people could even handle?]

[No chance. I’m an Awakened myself, and even if you gathered every S-Class and first-gen Awakened, it’d still be impossible.]

[Wait, are rifts like this going to keep appearing...?]

[Why worry? As long as the Saint of Tionis is here, monsters will never threaten humanity.]

Davey even saw comments displaying blind faith in him.

By lumping him into the broad category of humanity, they had given themselves a sense of unity with him.

“What if there comes a time when I can’t come to help, chat?”

[Well, then... Uh.]

“See? It isn’t the time for you folks to be sitting around feeling safe. Everyone needs to work harder to grow stronger.”

The chat, which had been full of noise about Kasato, suddenly shifted focus.

When they considered the possibility of a monster crisis happening without his protection, the mood grew noticeably heavier.

They were finally beginning to understand just how dangerous the rifts that he had been preventing had been all along.

He figured his main goal had essentially been achieved by that point.

But then, someone said something that couldn’t be ignored.

[Prince Davey, be honest. Kasato Yoshiki was just an excuse, wasn’t he? You let the rift in Japan grow out of control just to set this whole thing up and play the hero, didn’t you?]

[Holy shit, I just got chills. Is that true?!]

‘So there is a smart one. A very smart one.’

Davey smirked. “Who knows?”

[I’m a journalist from CCJ. If that is true, it would mean you orchestrated this while knowing people would die. Then what do you have to say about the Awakened individuals who lost their lives because of this?]

“Let’s clarify something first,” he said calmly. “Awakened individuals are those who put their lives on the line to fight monsters, aren’t they?”

[But if you were here—]

“Sorry, but I help those I happen to come across. I don’t have an obligation to personally protect every single Awakened individual.”

[Isn’t that a rather dismissive view of human life?]

“What’s your name?” Davey asked while tilting his head slightly.

[J-Jennifer Rosa, CCJ.]

“Alright, Jennifer. Like I said before, when people are treated with goodwill for too long, they start taking it for granted.”

[With great power comes great responsibility—]

“I don’t understand why everyone is saying that I’m obligated to share the power I worked so hard to obtain,” he said in an ice-cold tone. “Did you contribute anything to my strength? No? Then don’t cross the line.”

[...]

As soon as Davey shut her down, the chat exploded.

[He’s right.]

[Getting help and relying on someone is fine, but people need to know their limits.]

[CCJ’s stock is tanking as we speak.]

[Fucking typical CCJ journalist mentality, smh.]

A dispute had begun, but Davey made no effort to stop it.

Most humans on Earth were different from the people of Heins Territory.

He would protect his territory—his family—without question. But being used and exploited by people outside his circle wasn’t something he was going to allow to happen.

Complacency was comfortable by definition. But if the people of Earth continued down that same path, then the moment their relationship soured with Davey, the monsters would take away their lands and lives all over again.

The livestream was intended to remind them of that reality.

At the very least, he figured such action was what it would take to push them into actually training their own strength, whether by supporting the Awakened or doing whatever else it took.

Of course, if that happened, the rising of the Sacred Group’s stock would be a nice bonus.

“Kiaaahhh!!”

Davey turned his head and saw lord skeletons scattered across the battlefield—they were tearing the monsters apart with their bare hands.

One grabbed the jaws of a massive, ogre-like elite monster and ripped it clean apart. Another shot forward like a flash of light, drop kicking through a monster’s torso. One simply swung its sword wildly, turning everything in its path into unrecognizable mush. Another took a monster by the head and crushed its skull with sheer brute force.

[Whoa. How much are all those mana stones worth?]

“I’ll only take some, and donate the rest to those affected by the attack—assuming no one tries to skim off the top.”

Davey smirked as he tossed sacks to a few lord skeletons who weren’t actively fighting.

“Go collect every single mana stone out there, including from the battlefield we just cleared.”

Though the bag looked small at a glance, he had expansion magic at his disposal.

It was a complete, one-sided massacre.

The battle might’ve looked effortless, but the monsters weren’t weak in the slightest.

Crunch! Crunch!!

One of the lord skeletons had picked up a massive mana stone before casually popping it into its mouth, then started chewing.

Pow!!

“Hey! Don’t bite down on that, you idiot. You’re gonna be held responsible if it gets damaged.”

[LOLS he’s such a slave driver]

[Why are those skeletons actually kinda cute though LMAO]

Just as the tension in the chat started to ease, a deafening roar echoed from the distance.

A towering pillar of light shot into the sky with a storm. The sheer force behind it was on an entirely different level from the monsters they had faced so far.

Davey glanced in its direction and remarked, “We’ve got a big one. Stone collectors, stay here. The rest, follow me. We’re moving in for search and rescue.”

* * *

“Huff. Huff.”

The initial group of Awakened individuals to enter the rift ran with everything they had, but they were already at their limit.

“I-I can’t... run anymore.”

Those with weaker physical abilities—like mages and healers—were the first to collapse. The remaining Awakened individuals who were escorting them looked grim.

They should never have entered the rift.

Ever since stepping inside, regret had been the only thing filling their minds.

The monsters were too strong. Their numbers were too overwhelming!

They had tried to escape after taking out the enemies one by one, but for the overwhelmingly powerful ones, they couldn’t even fight back. They had no choice but to just run away.

So, so many had already died.

“Keep moving!! That thing is still chasing us!! Kouna!!” shouted Toho Yasunaro, the leader of the Awakened vanguard.

She was darting across the battlefield, her blade swirling with blue energy. “We have a way out! I don’t know what happened, but a massive number of monsters left earlier—that means there’s a clear escape route now!”

“I know!”

“Don’t push yourself too hard! Just buy us some time—we’re evacuating the injured first!” Kouna clenched her teeth and channeled the power of the Celestial Maiden into her sword.

Then, she charged at the towering, one-eyed monster titan, managing to pierce its vital point.

Unfortunately, enhanced titans were on par with S-Class individuals. Even facing a single one was pushing their limits.

There were dozens of them. A complete nightmare was unfolding in front of them.

When they had first entered the rift, the monsters seemed manageable.

Even considering the rift’s massive size, they had thought it to not be as bad as expected.

It didn’t take long for them to realize that was a mistake.

They had simply been lucky—that was the only reason they had made it so far.

The monsters they had fought to that point were just the weakest among the rift’s inhabitants. They realized all too late that there were far more creatures, ones that they wouldn’t even dare to challenge.

Being cornered by the monsters and trapped inside with no way to escape, they inevitably became exhausted.

They had only managed to hold out so long because Kouna had begun using Haitai’s power again.

Even so, that power was reaching its limit.

Before them appeared something far worse than any of the monsters before.

In addition to the enhanced titans, other unidentified monsters entered the fight. Facing their relentless assault, the group’s casualties kept rising.

Toho decided to force their way out—even if it meant sacrifices.

The only fortunate thing was that, moments before, a large number of monsters had suddenly moved elsewhere. Thanks to that, they had an opening.

Taking advantage of Kouna and the ranged Awakened fighters providing them cover, the rest of them moved to retreat as quickly as possible.

Or rather, they tried to.

Slash!!

“Kaaahhh!!!” Toho, who was taking the lead, let out a guttural shriek.

His body crumpled to the ground, and his left arm—which had been attached to his shoulder just moments before—tumbled away, spraying blood in the air.

A single attack had severed his limb, its speed so fast that even he, an elite Awakened with enhanced durability, hadn’t been able to react.

[Horne... must die.]

A grotesque, bone-chilling voice echoed throughout the battlefield before a creature gradually emerged, its head twisted unnaturally as it stepped forward.

A musty stench filled the air, different from the scent of blood—heavy and putrid.

The Awakened finally caught sight of the creature that had instantly overpowered Toho, leaving them frozen in shock.

At first glance, it seemed human. Or at least, hunchbacked and vaguely human-shaped.

But its face was something that should not have existed.

It had the hollow, sunken features of a grinning skull. Its elongated, razor-sharp cranium stretched backward unnaturally. The eyes were nothing but deep, empty sockets.

Its body was thin and gray, its swollen stomach bulged grotesquely, and from its navel hung a thick umbilical cord-like mass that was dragged along the ground. It ended in a lump of raw flesh, like a newborn still attached to its placenta.

Compared to other monsters, its size was unimpressive.

Even so, not a single Awakened individual could move. A wave of fear had crashed over them—the kind that made them certain any movement would result in death. They felt paralyzed.

[Horne. Must die.]

The creature twisted its neck with an audible crack as it stepped forward.

Toho gritted his teeth, forcing himself to move.

“Gaaahhh!!! Die, monster!!” He swung his sword with every ounce of strength he had left.

But before his blade even touched the creature, it shattered.

It simply broke apart into nothingness as if it had decided to blow itself up.

Whether the monster had countered or simply negated the attack, both seemed incomprehensible.

However, it didn’t matter.

Having sensed the attack, the creature slowly turned its head toward Toho and reached out with its hand that had long, razor-sharp nails.

“Hmph?!”

The creature pierced through his abdomen.

Toho widened his eyes at the searing pain. First arm had been severed, only for his abdomen to then be pierced.

And through it all—he hadn’t been able to resist even once.

Speed. Power. Dominance. Everything about this creature was overwhelming.

Despite its thin figure, he had never faced anything stronger than the creature standing before him.

He even became suspicious if it could be considered simply a monster at all.

He had seen many new, strange creatures before. But that thing? It was alien.

[M... Mother... Revenge.]

The being muttered grotesquely to itself in a slow, broken voice.

Dragging its fleshy umbilical cord-like appendage across the ground, it moved forward. It then casually tossed Toho aside with the ease of someone swatting away an insect.

“T-Toho!!”

He was an S-Class individual—one of Japan’s strongest.

It wasn’t that he was weak, of course. It was that the thing was just too strong.

[Horne... must die.]

The creature mumbled to itself again, as if its consciousness wasn’t fully formed and instead simply a broken record.

Kouna tightened her grip on her sword with white knuckles, ready to unleash the power of Haitai at a moment’s notice.

She was certain that the creature before her was the one responsible for the massive pillar of light and storm they had seen earlier.

The one thing positive was that its presence had caused the other monsters to slowly back away, making the surroundings less threatening.

Even so, if it really went berserk, she knew no one here would last even a few minutes.

The Awakened individuals who recognized what was in store for them finally snapped under the mental pressure.

Some trembled violently, paralyzed with fear. Others outright broke down in tears.

They had fought with everything they had to survive. But now, in the face of such absolute power, they had nothing left.

Some began to think of how monstrous Davey O’Rowane must be to have cleared other rifts like this all by himself.

Looking at her comrades effectively rendered into crying infants, Kouna turned pale.

She knew running away was no longer a viable option. Their singular saving grace was that the creature seemed to only attack those who showed direct hostility toward it.

For some reason, it was behaving like a child.

[You... Hor... ne?]

The gray-skinned monster dragged its grotesque umbilical cord along the ground as it loomed over her.

She had heard the word ‘Horne’ once, when playing the Alfland Online game.

From what she recalled, it had been used to describe humans.

She contemplated what would happen if she either confirmed or denied it, her mind racing.

The creature asked again.

[You... Horne?]

It was demanding an answer.

Someone behind her panicked and screamed.

"S-She’s not a Horne!!!"

Slash!!

Their head abruptly disappeared.

No one had even seen it happen.

The creature had decapitated the individual in an instant using its razor-sharp nails.

It then turned back to Kouna.

[You. Horne?]

Her lips wouldn’t move.

Fear. Confusion. Helplessness.

She just looked into the horizon with hollow eyes.

The creature might just kill her because she was hesitating—she was scared as hell, but yet she couldn’t manage to say anything.

She had no clue how to answer the creature, when she knew both answers led to her death.

Her mind was blank. Instead of answering, a single person flashed through her thoughts.

She couldn’t help but think that if he were there, she wouldn’t have been left feeling so powerless.

If he were there, that creature—and the entire rift—would’ve been nothing more than a joke.

Still, she quickly realized that her thoughts were just useless and overly complicated.

Because he wasn’t there.

The monster tilted its head, scratching at its scalp as if puzzled by her silence.

It then muttered again, its voice like metal scraping against metal.

[Daphne... Daphne scent... Horne. Must die.]

She sensed that something was off about the monster.

She suspected that it was closely connected to the origins of the rifts and monsters that appeared on Earth. But her guesses didn’t matter, because there was pretty much nothing she could do—all she could do was pray that the creature wouldn’t change its mind and kill her on a whim.

It then grabbed her arm.

“Hmph?!”

[Horne. Must die. Daphne... kill.]

The glow in its eyes darkened with intensity.

"Aaaahhh!!!"

The creature squeezed its grip, trying to shatter her bones.

Yet, no one could move to try and save her.

Crushed by pure terror, they could only watch.

It was a one-sided slaughter.